_In Crilly's, a month later. The room is the parlour off the shop. A glass door, right, leads into the shop, and the fireplace is above this door. In the back, right, is a cupboard door. Back is a window looking on the street. A door, left, leads to other rooms. There is a table near shop door and a horse-hair sofa back, an armchair at fire, and two leather-covered chairs about. Conventional pictures on walls, and two certificates framed, showing that some one in the house has passed some Intermediate examinations._ _It is the forenoon of an April day. Mrs. Crilly is seated on sofa, going through a heap of account books. Anna Crilly is at window. Crofton Crilly enters from the shop._ CRILLY It's all right, Marianne. MRS. CRILLY Well? CRILLY The Guardians insisted on appointing an outside person to take stock of the workhouse stores. It's the new regulation, you know. Well, the job lay between young Dobbs and Albert, and Albert has got it. I don't say but it was a near thing. MRS. CRILLY I hope Albert will know what to do. CRILLY He'll want to watch the points. Where's the Master? MRS. CRILLY He's in his room upstairs. CRILLY Was he not out this morning? MRS. CRILLY He's not dressed yet. CRILLY He was more particular when he was in the workhouse. ANNA I know who those two children are now. They are the new gas-manager's children. CRILLY He's a Scotchman. ANNA And married for the second time. Mother, Mrs. Dunne is going to the races. Such a sketch of a hat. MRS. CRILLY It would be better for her if she stayed at home and looked after her business. ANNA She won't have much business to look after soon. That's the third time her husband has come out of Farrell's public-house. CRILLY He's drinking with the Dispensary Doctor. Companions! They're the curse of this town, Marianne. _(He sits down)_ ANNA She's walked into a blind man, hat and all. He's from the Workhouse. CRILLY He's the blind piper out of the workhouse, Myles Gorman. MRS. CRILLY There's no one within. You should go into the shop, Anna. ANNA Yes, mother. _(She crosses)_ James Scollard is coming in, mother. MRS. CRILLY Very well, Anna. Stay in the shop until Mary comes. _Anna goes into the shop. Crilly moves about_. MRS. CRILLY You're very uneasy. CRILLY Yes, I am uneasy, Marianne. There's some presentment on me. Fifty pounds a year is a good pension for the old man. He's a month out now. He ought to be getting an instalment. _Anna comes in from shop_. ANNA Mother, the doctor's daughter is in the shop. MRS. CRILLY What does she want? ANNA _(imitating an accent)_ Send up a pound of butter, two pounds of sugar, and a pound of tea. MRS. CRILLY These people are paying nobody. But we can't refuse her. I suppose we'll have to send them up. Be very distant with her, Anna. ANNA I've kept her waiting. Here's a letter, mother. MRS. CRILLY _(taking letter)_ When did it come, Anna? ANNA It's just handed in.